Tom Temple Passes Away at 74

Furniture World News Desk on 10/18/2021

Tom Temple,74, passed away on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.   Tom is survived by his wonderful wife of 45 years, Joyce of Big Canoe, Georgia.  Their son, Will Temple from Auburn, Alabama.   In addition, their daughter, Katie and her husband, Jason Keehfus from Atlanta, Georgia with their two wonderful boys,  Cameron (11) and Lincoln (10).  Tom has a sister, Susan, and  her husband, Vic, from Cary, North Carolina.  Tom is predeceased by his parents, Herbert and Ella Temple as well as his son, Cory Temple.

Tom grew up in Charlotte, North Carolia and attended UNC-Chapel Hill, followed by his service in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. Tom received the Air Medal for Heroism while participating in aerial flight and The Bronze Star while serving his country in Vietnam. After Tom returned home he went to work with Stuart Furniture, in Asheboro, NC, which later became Klaussner Furniture for over 33 years.  Tom was the first commissioned sales person at Stuart.This is also where he met and married his wife, Joyce.  They later moved to Atlanta and then to Auburn, Alabama where they raised their family and lived for over 30 years. Tom covered Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and the Florida panhandle where he made many friends in the furniture business.

Many of you who knew him best, know he loved people, sales, golf and his family, especially his two grandchildren.. Tom never met a stranger and always had a story to tell.

He maintained a huge passion for UNC basketball and southern football.  

The family has requested any donations made in Tom’s name to Tunnel for Towers.